Master Gardeners

Educating people where they live and work about horticultural best practices

Master Gardeners are University of Minnesota-trained volunteers whose job is to educate the public about a variety of horticulture subjects using readily-available, up-to-date research-based information. This educational effort is designed to enhance the public's quality of life and to promote good stewardship of the environment.

There are more than 100 Master Gardeners who live in Washington County and volunteer several thousand hours each year to educate others. Activities range from teaching Community Education classes, diagnosing plant problems, and answering questions at “Ask a Master Gardener events, on the phone, or by the Internet to helping communities with their environmental issues such as water quality, invasive species, and noxious weeds.

Posted by bart in About Us + What do Master Gardeners do?

What do Master Gardeners do in Washington County?

We’ve identified eight Core Projects which best serve our mission, and focus the majority of our volunteer time each year on these projects.

Ask a Master Gardener Line
We answer yard and garden-related questions of every type imaginable! Questions are left in a voicemail box, and a Master Gardener calls back within 24 hours with information.

Ask a Master Gardener
We answer questions and provide other information at local garden centers during the growing season, at the Family Means Garden Tour and at the South Washington County Garden Tour.

Community Education Classes
We teach adult education horticultural classes in Foest Lake, Stillwater and South Washington County schools.

Ramsey County Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic
We staff this clinic in cooperation with Ramsey County Master Gardeners from mid-April through mid-October, at the Ramsey County Extension office on White Bear Avenue. Citizens bring in plant or insect samples, and teams of Master Gardeners diagnose the problem and offer recommendations or solutions.

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Posted by bart in About Us + What do Master Gardeners do?

PRUNING TREES & SHRUBS: KNOWING WHEN & HOW

Proper pruning is no more work than poor pruning and a little knowledge can go a long way to making you feel good about doing it right. There are several reasons to prune trees and shrubs including improving health and appearance, shaping young plants, renewing older shrubs, and fixing safety issues.

When to Prune

As a general rule the best time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs is in late winter or early spring when they are dormant. Pruning at this time allows you to see the shape and interior of the tree so you can see what you are doing and there is less chance of disease or insect problems. Dead branches can be removed at anytime.

There are some exceptions.

• Do not prune oak trees between April 1 and July 4th to reduce the threat of oak wilt. Go to www.forestry.umn.edu/extension for Oak Wilt updates.


• Do not prune any trees or shrubs between the time the buds swell and leaves open up.


• To minimize “bleeding” of maples, birch, ironwood, honey locust, blue beech, elm, butternut and walnut prune early in the summer after the leaves have opened.


• Do not prune spring flowering shrubs until after they have bloomed. Flower buds for the next year develop during summer months so prune right after blooming.

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Posted by bart in Information on Popular Topics

ABOUT THOSE GARDEN CHEMICALS

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Do you have a shelf full of outdated or partially used garden chemicals in your home? Most gardeners do and because some of the products can be hazardous to people, pets and the environment, risk as well as nuisance accompany their storage.

Fortunately, it is not necessary to spray, dust, spread or broadcast pesticides to manage most garden insects and diseases. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a research-based approach that can reduce insect and disease damage to acceptable levels in most gardens with minimum or no pesticide use.

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Posted by bart in Information on Popular Topics

Have a Gardening Question?

If you've got questions, we've got answers! Here are several ways you can easily access yard and garden information.

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Posted by mgweb in Have a Question?